73: Chapter 73 Ling'er's Stubbornness

The vitality of a Warrior Rank 5 Savage Beast was like the oldest river on the Savage Continent; it would not cease its flow because of a single wound. The Ink-scaled Python's massive tail swept wildly in agony, causing ancient trees to topple in swathes, like bones gnawed apart by a Savage Beast.

Wang Sheng's right fist followed closely behind.

Power of Holy Light, all of it, infused.

He was not merely throwing a punch; he was pouring all the spiritual energy of a Warrior Rank 4, all the strength driven by fury that surpassed his limits, and all the golden flames burning within his chest when Zhao Linger was injured, into this single strike.

"Holy, Light, Slash!!!"

His voice was like golden thunder, piercing through the darkness of the dense forest, piercing through the curse of shadow, and piercing through the oldest silence of the Savage Continent.

His right fist slammed into the wound on the Ink-scaled Python's chin. The Power of Holy Light surged from his fist like a golden dragon, piercing through the Ink-scaled Python's entire skull.

A golden pillar of light erupted from the top of the Ink-scaled Python's head.

Like a sun rising from the shell of shadow, the golden pillar of light broke through the canopy of the dense forest, broke through the obstruction of ancient trees, and broke through the gloomy sky, appearing like a golden pillar connecting the earth and the firmament.

The twenty-meter-long giant python crashed to the ground.

The ground trembled like an earthquake the moment the giant python fell. Ancient trees within a twenty-meter radius were like building blocks pushed over by a giant hand in the shockwave; soil splattered, and dust permeated the air like the oldest mist of the Savage Continent.

The Ink-scaled Python's dark golden vertical pupils slowly closed.

The dark purple patterns in its vertical pupils slowly receded like vines scorched by Holy Light. Those Shadow Powers that did not belong to it turned into nothingness under the purification of Holy Light, as if the shadow itself was dissolving before the light.

When the last trace of the dark purple pattern disappeared from the Ink-scaled Python's vertical pupils,

those eyes finally returned to the original appearance of a Savage Beast. There was no longer any eerie light in the dark golden vertical pupils, only the emptiness peculiar to a Savage Beast after death.

"Ding!" The system notification sounded in Wang Sheng's mind.

Killed Warrior Rank 5 Ink-scaled Python (Shadow Corrupted State). Obtained: Ink-scaled Python Skin × 1 (Can be used to craft high-level armor), Savage Beast Pill · Ink-scaled Python Pill × 1 (Warrior Rank 5 · Rare alchemy material), Mid-rank Savage Beast Crystal Core × 1, Large amount of Savage Beast meat, Tribal Contribution Points × 200. Note: The dark purple patterns in the Ink-scaled Python's eyes are confirmed to be traces of Shadow Clan corruption. The Shadow Clan is systematically inciting the Savage Beasts in the Savage Beast Forest.

Wang Sheng did not look at the system panel; his gaze turned to Zhao Linger at the first opportunity.

Zhao Linger leaned against the roots of an ancient tree, her right arm hanging limply at her side. Dark purple poison marks spread from her wrist to her shoulder, like ugly vines crawling all over her jade-white skin.

The aftermath of the poison mist left a large area of dark purple poison marks on her right arm. The right sleeve of her Spirit Vine Combat Suit had been corroded by the poison mist, leaving several dark holes and charred edges.

Liu Ruyan had already used a dagger to cut open the right sleeve of the combat suit from the shoulder, revealing the entire right arm.

It was an arm that should not have appeared on the savage battlefield; slender, like white jade carved by the savage gods from moonlight. From shoulder to fingertips, every inch of skin was so fair it was nearly transparent, just like fine suet. The skin on the inside of her elbow was as delicate as silk.

One could faintly see blue veins beneath the fair skin like tiny rivers. Her fingertips still retained the pink shimmer of sonic spiritual energy, like ten tiny pink stars.

But at this moment, dark purple poison marks crawled over this piece of white jade like ugly vines.

The poison marks started from her wrist, as if the savage gods had splashed ink on white porcelain with a brush of shadow. The dark purple patterns wound like snakes, passing the elbow, crawling up the inside of her arm until they reached her shoulder.

On that patch of skin that should have been as smooth as white jade, the dark purple poison marks were shocking, as if the ugliest paint had been splashed onto a perfect canvas.

Liu Ruyan crouched before her. The Phantom Assassin's fingers nimbly retrieved the detoxification spirit paste prepared by Hua Jieyu from her pack. The emerald green paste emitted the fresh scent of herbs. She picked up some paste with her fingertips and gently applied it to the poison marks on Zhao Linger's arm.

The moment the spirit paste touched the poison marks, Zhao Linger bit her lower lip in pain. She stubbornly refused to cry out. Her delicate teeth pressed into her lower lip like two rows of white jade pinning down a petal.

The spirit paste on the poison marks was like a blazing fire meeting dry wood; the emerald green spiritual energy and the dark purple toxins clashed fiercely on the surface of her skin, causing a pain that felt like being burned.

She couldn't help but gasp, her slender body trembling slightly like a spirit flower shivering in a storm. The nails of her left hand dug deeply into the bark of the ancient tree.

After the right sleeve of Zhao Linger's Spirit Vine Combat Suit was cut open, her right shoulder to her arm was completely exposed. The close-fitting cut of the Spirit Vine armor made the curve from her collarbone to her shoulder appear as if sketched by the hand of the savage gods. Her shoulders were round and smooth, like two pieces of white jade soaked in moonlight.

The arc of her collarbone was like two silver streams carved by the savage gods. On the skin below her collarbone, the dark purple poison marks looked like a cursed tattoo, forming a stark contrast with her fair skin.

Her baby face was pale from the pain, like a spirit flower covered in frost and snow. Sweat beads on her forehead were like morning dew sliding off petals. She gritted her teeth on her small face, and her large, round eyes were slightly red from the pain.

But that redness was not from crying; it was stubbornness.

Wang Sheng crouched in front of her. His hands were trembling slightly. It was not fear, but anger—anger at the Shadow Clan, anger at the Ink-scaled Python, and self-reproach for failing to protect her, a self-reproach that ate at his heart like venom.

Zhao Linger had blocked for him for three seconds. Three seconds. She had used her spiritual energy, her own body, and her right arm to block the Shadow poison mist for her teammates.

If she hadn't blocked those three seconds, the poison mist would have covered the entire position before the team could disperse. Murong Xue, Xiao Yuqing, the Elf Archer—no one would have escaped unscathed.

Three seconds. She had traded the dark purple poison marks on her right arm for everyone's safety.

"Does it hurt?" His voice was half a tone lower than usual, as if a golden bell had been half-covered by the palm of a savage god—low, hoarse, and carrying a tremor only he could hear.

Zhao Linger raised her head. Her small face was pale from the pain, like a spirit flower covered in frost and snow. But in those large, round eyes, there was no complaint, no tears. Instead, there was a hint of mischievous laughter.

It was as if a spirit sparrow had reopened its throat to sing after a storm, or a spirit flower had bloomed again after the frost melted. "It hurts," her voice sounded like she was acting spoiled, like a kitten soaked by the rain rubbing its head against its owner, the end of her sentence slightly upturned.

"So I need Chieftain to carry me back."

That tone—it was clearly speaking of the most heart-wrenching thing, yet she said it in the most understated way, like the gentlest note from a Spirit Sound Master, falling softly onto Wang Sheng's heart.

Wang Sheng looked at her, looked at her baby face that was pale from pain yet still wore a mischievous smile, looked at the dark purple poison marks spreading like vines on her right arm, and looked at her fingernails dug deep into the tree bark. His Adam's apple bobbed.

Then, he reached out and gently grasped her left hand that was dug into the tree bark. Her fingers were icy, as if soaked through by the lingering chill of the poison mist. In his palm, her slender fingers looked like a white candle covered in frost and snow. He squeezed, and the golden shimmer of Holy Light spiritual energy seeped from his fingertips, as if sunlight were melting the frost and snow.

Zhao Linger's fingers slowly released the tree bark. She lowered her head, looking at his palm holding her left hand. In those large, round eyes, the mischievous laughter gradually dissolved, replaced by a softness like moonlight falling into the Lingxi River.